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Gender Roles In Things Fall Apart

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A single syllable declared by a nurse at birth hinders the entire future of individuals from the very first moment they enter this world. Be it a boy, the parents, beaming with pride, may begin to pick out shades of blue for the nursery, and fill its walls with toys trucks and army men. They dream of raising a strong and righteous man with aspirations filled with duty and intellect. Be it a girl, they fondle her as glimpses of the subsequent pink bedspreads and dainty dolls flash in their eyes. The thought of eventually giving her away to a man to become a nurturing mother brings comfort and bittersweet tears to their eyes. Instantaneously, gender narrows downs the possible life paths of this child by excluding those which do not fill its gender …show more content…

Things Fall Apart takes place during the European imperial era in Africa. In traditional Igbo culture, it is accentuated that one is not a man unless he is fearless, strong, and aggressive; whereas the terms womanly and cowardly are interchangeable. Men are meant to be strong, assertive, and dominant, while women take care of the household and family. In Africa, women are last to be educated to gain access to well-paying positions (“Gender”). This demonstrates how women were treated like second class citizens and not encouraged or allowed an education. Stereotypes like these are present in Things Fall Apart to reveal the damage caused from restricting individuals and outcasting those are …show more content…

For example, Nwoye possesses a remarkable ability to sympathize. His innocent nature causes him to be baffled by the recurrent brutalities carried out around him. He is Okonkwo’s son, his legacy, as gender roles dictate, and his effeminate traits were accepted as a curse. Okonkwo disowns him for “he, Okonkwo, was called flaming fire. How could he have begotten a woman for a son?” (C. Achebe 123). In this case, fire symbolizes masculinity and Okonkwo is angered that his son is a disappointment with disgraceful, effeminate traits. Another character who strayed from traditional gender stereotypes is Unoka. Okonkwo and the village look down on him. Okonkwo’s father was lazy, cowardly and could not support himself or his family. This destroys the masculine image set by stereotypes, so he is shunned as an reject for failing to fill his role as a man. This is what helps Okonkwo create such a rigid definition of gender stereotypes because of society's reaction to Unoka’s actions. Achebe displays the inflexibly and consequences for those like Nwoye and Unoka who question and defy stereotypes in Things Fall Apart. This limits and prohibits the feats they can achieve without the acceptance of others. Members of society that find that they do not fit under specific gender stereotypes will face similar consequences, and contribute to the limitation of

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802 Words | 4 Pages

Okonkwo constantly struggled to create the same masculine character in Nwoye that he made for himself and constantly found a reflection of his effeminate father, Unoka, in Nwoye. Chapter two describes the relationship between Okonkwo and Nwoye in Nwoye’s youth. “Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness... He sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating” (13-14). Okonkwo’s efforts to change Nwoye’s resemblance of Unoka were causing their relationship to be pushed apart because of Okonkwo’s violence and Nwoye’s resistance.

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John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath in 1939. The novel is based about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. The Great Depression and the dust bowl took place in the 1930’s. Jim Casy has a significant role in The Grapes of Wrath because he is a Christ figure, he is the Joad’s family friend, and he sacrifices himself.

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755 Words | 4 Pages

China Achebe demonstrates the disrespect the Ibo men had for woman in Things Fall Apart by depicting verbal and physical abuse within the community. The men have control over a woman through power of authority. This physical and verbal abuse lets the men of the society feel empowerment over the woman. “ Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper” Achebe 12.

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728 Words | 3 Pages

In most fairy tales and novels a humble male role is used to dictate the normality of writing. In “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo, a strong male role is not only that, a lead character, but he is also cruel and prone to violent tendencies In the novel Okonkwo experiences harsh changes when the white men first came and at the beginning of colonialism. In “Things Fall Apart”, Achebe uses Okonkwo to display the negative change in everyday Igbo culture after colonialism. In this novel by Achebe, before colonialism was introduced, Okonkwo was a known masculine member of Umuofia.

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745 Words | 3 Pages

Okonkwo was seen as very masculine and strong, but when he decided to commit a crime that was seen as very “feminine,” it changed his

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841 Words | 4 Pages

Okonkwo is consistently described as a “man of action” so “sitting still” conflicts with his identity. Actions are commonly associated with masculinity and thinking is associated with weakness. By Okonkwo sitting with his chin in his palms he contorts his masculine image into a picture of weakness, thereby bringing his greatest fear into existence. Nwoye “[bursting] into tears” further encourages Okonkwo’s fears. Tears and the action of visibly showing emotions through crying is an undeniable sign of vulnerability and weakness.

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946 Words | 4 Pages

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is a book based up on pre-colonial Nigeria back in the 1890s and it focuses on on traditional society’s and colonialism. The author presents the book Things Fall Apart through the eyes of the main character Okonkwo who was a respected elder in the village. Women in the book were all housewives and they were shown as weak, and as second class citizens of the Umuofian society. The roles of women in the Umuofia society is presented through several events that happened in in the village of Umuofia.

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1027 Words | 5 Pages

The tripartite novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, published in 1958 focuses on the changes taking place in Nigeria, as a result of colonization during the 20th century. Chinua Achebe’s pragmatics when writing the novel focused on changing the perspective of Western readers with regard to African society. He mainly wanted to falsify the assertions in books such as “Heart of Darkness” which he claimed gave people of African descent a dull personality. Social status is one of the novels’ main themes. Chinua Achebe successfully incorporates the importance of social status, giving readers the impression that for the Ibo society, social structure consists mainly of a hierarchy of both skill and strength.

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467 Words | 2 Pages

He had an old rusty gun made by a clever blacksmith who had come to live in Umuofia long ago. But although Okonkwo was a great man whose prowess was universally acknowledged, he was not a hunter. In fact he had not killed a rat with his gun. And so when he called Ikemefuna to fetch his gun, the wife who had just been beaten murmured something about guns that never shot (38-39). This is a phallic symbol which is saying that even though he has a lot of power and known around the villages that he is not really manly because he can not “shoot” his “gun”.

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1483 Words | 6 Pages

When talking about the danger of single stories, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said, “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete.” The novel Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, works to complete the stereotype of African culture. Chinua takes the reader along the journey of a man, Okonkwo, who struggles to keep Umuofia, his tribe, from being colonized by European men. His father, Unoka, was known for being lazy and cowardly which motivates Okonkwo to be everything he wasn’t. Okonkwo becomes a wealthy and respected warrior of not only his clan, but throughout the eight other villages as well.

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881 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the authors' claim of "balance" within the Igbo tribe is invalid. Although one may view that women and men existing in this society as balanced due to the fact that both the men and women have a particular part in the general public; The men hunt for dinner, while the ladies prepare the meals and care after the kids. However, through close reading, the society is actually imbalance. While the women are living oppressed, the men are holding positions of high power. The women in the tribe not only being socially oppressed by men of high authority, but also physically and emotionally abused by men in their home who likewise holds power.

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561 Words | 3 Pages

In the tribe, masculinity and strength are romanticized to an unhealthy point, but due to Okonkwo’s disappointment and embarrassment of his father, he aggressively follows these norms. By placing women in a subservient role, he maintains control in his family life: “‘Do what you are told, woman’” (Achebe 14). This dominance over women is present throughout the entire novel, showing Okonkwo’s need to prove himself as a masculine figure, not only to himself but to his tribe, as well. Additionally, Okonkwo frequently uses extreme punishment, such as beating his wives or threatening them: “Okonkwo...ran madly into his room for the loaded gun, ran out again and aimed at her” (39).

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895 Words | 4 Pages

In the Ibo hierarchal society, women are the subject of unequal treatment and patronization. They are considered weak and are not given any power. As the novel, Things Fall Apart unravels, the author, Chinua Achebe reveals the distinct attributes of femininity. Feminine traits are also viewed with disdain in Umuofian society, especially by the protagonist of the novel, Okonkwo. His past experiences shape his disposition and give rise to his stereotypical mentality; however, several events contradict the prevalent perspective of women, leading to Okonkwo facing conflicts within himself.

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1890 Words | 8 Pages

Fear is the core cause of the dramatic shift of lifestyle for both Okonkwo and Nwoye. Through the management of reputation and the avoidance of their father’s likeness, Okonkwo and Nwoye built new lives for themselves. Okonkwo sought power and authority to prove his masculinity and make up for Unoka’s reputation as a weak man. He did this to the point where manliness became his character. Fearlessness and violence were masculine qualities that in Igbo culture signifies strength and influence.

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878 Words | 4 Pages

Feminist Theory In Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”, they recognize the life of the Igbos which are a tribe in the village of Umuofia during European colonization. There are many topics brought up in this book like the effects of colonization, culture and tradition, religion, race, etc. It is relatively easy to read “Things Fall Apart” as an anti-feminist text due to the face that the Igbo clan’s customs and traditions seem to side towards masculine features, such as power and strength. The novel is told through a male protagonist’s point of view in nineteenth century Nigeria, while women there do not have much rights, they do wield heavy influence over the leaders of the clan.

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